This is not as weird as it seems:
Worldwide media tablet shipments in the second quarter were driven by continued robust demand for Apple’s iPad 2, which saw shipments reach 9.3 million units, representing a 68.3% share of the worldwide market (up from 65.7% the previous quarter). Research in Motion entered the media tablet market in 2Q11 with its PlayBook product, grabbing a 4.9% share of the market. Apple’s strength and RIM’s entrance meant bad news for Android-based media tablets, which saw its collective share slip to 26.8%, down from 34.0% the previous quarter.
Android tablet sales are supposed to be going up, now that 3.x is available and manufacturers are putting price pressure on Apple. So how is Apple gaining market share? I’d wager that it isn’t, not really.
Note that the report covers the number of tablets shipped to retailers, not sold to consumers. Fact is, Android tablets are mostly sitting unloved on the store shelves and Android manufacturers have noticed — and have cut back on production. So of course shipments aren’t keeping up with Apple’s.
iPad isn’t surging ahead; Android makers are just starting to catch on to market realities.
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